Addiction is a horrible thing. We all know that. But The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (my church) has produced a series of video segments outlining the steps of the church’s Addiction Recovery Program that really bring it home. Each segment focuses on a different person who has gone through the program and really hits hard as they describe their path into and out of addiction. It’s tough stuff to watch, but I’m a better person for having done so.
The thing I began to realize, though it’s never stated in the videos, is that we probably all struggle with some form of addiction. Perhaps we don’t develop the level of dependency these people do, but we all have something that we tend to fall back into under certain circumstances even though we know it’s not good for us. We can certainly be grateful our addictions are low-grade, but I don’t think we can judge others for getting caught in the more powerful forms. And clearly judgment is not what they need, anyway. They need support.
I watched the series, and my feelings moved from “there but for the grace of God go I” to “there, through the grace of God go I.” It’s true I’ve been fortunate to have been raised in an environment where most addictive substances were firmly decried and not readily available, but not all means of addiction are illegal, and some are increasingly available anywhere, at any time. There are many things we can become legally addicted to. But the pervasive theme of these videos is one of hope. There is a way out. It’s not easy.
One of my friends and colleagues in the church is a volunteer in the Addiction Recovery Program. I thought I knew what he does, but I have a whole new appreciation for it–and him–now. And I have nothing but respect for those who have made it through. As I understand it you never really stop being addicted. You only diminish the addiction’s power over you, and increase your strength to resist. For anyone who has overcome an addiction, my hat is off to you.
Of course, there are those who would claim that religion and church are things that people need to recover from. However, your commentary is well observed.
I agree with you about all of us having a tendency towards addiction, I think it’s along the lines of a statistical bell curve, most of us are in the middle & can manage to some degree but as you go further out along the curve, the harder it gets.
My ex roomie used to watch a show called Intervention, to witness the devastation that people end up causing for themselves & those around them and the extremely difficult path to get out of that scenario. whoa.
Listening to many of them talk, there was often that moment in the past that triggered the present. The scary part was that though the trigger often was something traumatic, it didn’t have to be.